Winter pruning of goji berry is timely now; growers should not miss the farming season

After a year of growth, the goji berry tree has numerous branches and a messy canopy, and while new fruiting branches form, some fruiting branches have already begun to age. Therefore, goji berry must be pruned in winter, otherwise the yield and quality of the following year will be affected. Through pruning, out with the old and in with the new, selecting and retaining the old-eye branches and seven-inch branches with strong fruiting capacity, and cutting off non-productive branches, can lay a good foundation for the old-eye branches to bear fruit and grow new fruiting branches the following year. Top cutting: for ease of management, the tree height needs to be controlled by top cutting. Generally, tree height should be controlled at 1-8 m. Where there is space in the upper part of the canopy, vigorous water shoots should be headed back, retaining about 20 cm of branch stub to promote branching and fill in the canopy. Vigorous shoots with no retention value should be cut off from the base. Bottom cutting: to facilitate soil management in the goji berry orchard and prevent fruit on drooping branches from becoming moldy and rotten, branches on the base layer of the canopy that touch the ground should be headed back at a height of 30 cm from the ground. Cavity clearing: thin and weak branches inside the canopy should be removed, and densely crowded branches should be properly thinned to maintain good ventilation and light transmission conditions, which is conducive to fruit growth and development. Perimeter pruning refers to pruning the fruiting branch layer of the canopy. It mainly involves selecting and retaining good fruiting branches and cutting off old branches, thorny branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, wind-broken branches, crossing branches, overlapping branches and densely crowded branches in the fruiting branch layer. When pruning, the retention or removal of old branches should be decided according to the number of new fruiting branches. If there are many new branches, old branches can be retracted to a robust branching point. Winter pruning should be light rather than heavy; do not head back too much. This is because the buds at 16-50 cm from the branch tips are the earliest fruiting buds the following year, and heading back fruiting branches too much directly affects the yield of spring fruit the following year. To avoid missing any cuts, prune carefully from top to bottom, going around the canopy in one direction.